


Incident

by SuperNerd (Regina_Lupus)



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 03:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14926640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regina_Lupus/pseuds/SuperNerd
Summary: An argument escalates too quickly, and leaves Chloe with a sore cheek and too much to think about. Thankfully, Max is at her side to help her through it this time.





	Incident

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, I’m not dead! :D I pulled a vanishing act for several reasons. I’ll spare you the boring details, there’s just been a lot of big changes that have happened recently and there’s a ton more on the horizon. I wanted to get something out though, and let everyone know that I am working on the second chapter of “We Will Be.” <3
> 
> Secondly, I wanted to flesh this out much more but for the hinted reasons above I’ve been struggling with motivation and inspiration. I’m not overly pleased with it, but it’s a cute little bit of hurt/comfort fluff that hopefully brings some smiles. :)

Chloe stared down at her boots; brooding, though she’d never admit to it. Her cheek was stinging, Max was pressed warmly against her side and she was steadfastly ignoring the warmth pooling in her eyes. She tried to focus on Max, her slight form and minimal weight, the warmth of her, even the coldness of her always cold hand as it trailed soothingly along her back. She tried to focus on that and tried not to think.

She tried not to remember why her cheek was stinging, the shouting match with David that had escalated too far too fast. She tried to stop thinking about how if it had been William... Well, first of all he would have knocked. He would have teased them relentlessly for the hurried scurrying that would have followed, he would have known what they’d been up to even through them trying to hide it. Chloe was convinced he knew of their feelings for each other before either of them had. He wouldn’t have hit Chloe. He wouldn’t have threatened Max. William would have accepted their relationship in a heartbeat, would have welcomed Max into the family with open arms just as Joyce had.

But William wasn’t here, and that was what finally made the tears fall.

Max, ever the empath, said nothing. She leaned up to kiss Chloe’s cheek, brushing a fresh trail of tears away with soft lips, then was simply there. She held on tight, continued to stroke her girlfriend’s back and waited for Chloe to decide if she wanted to talk about it. She didn’t offer to rewind again, she didn’t fret or worry or think herself into a corner. She was just there, and Chloe’s heart squeezed in her chest.

“I’m sorry,” Chloe breathed softly, reaching up to impatiently scrub at her cheek. She didn’t know what she was apologizing for. Maybe it was for Max having to see her cry, or the shouting match she had to witness earlier. Maybe it was because Max had to watch her get hurt yet again because of her own inability to keep her mouth shut. Maybe it was just for everything.

Max shushed her, whatever the reason for the senseless apology, and pulled her down so they were cuddled up on the photographer’s bed. “Don’t apologize, butterfly.”

A small smile crossed Chloe’s face, despite the tears still trailing down her cheeks silently. She was Max’s butterfly, and Max was her little doe. 

She wanted to run away from these feelings, to lose herself in Max’s scent and just let go. She wanted to forget, but she knew that’s not what she needed. Her therapist had told her that bottling up her emotions was a factor in many of her problems. She’d encouraged Chloe to let herself feel things so she could actively work through them. Chloe herself thought it was bullshit, but she had to try to be better for Max and this was suppose to help with that. She nuzzled her head into Max’s chest made herself stop pretending. 

David had interrupted a private moment between her and Max. She’d been angry for having her privacy violated, and embarrassed for being caught in such a position by her stepfather of all people. David had gotten angry, though Chloe had no idea why, and threatened to kick Max out which had made her angrier. She’d thrown a few choice words at him and had a split second after the word “dyke” left her mouth to prepare for the hard slap that connected with her cheek. She hadn’t seen it coming. The emotions after that, humiliation, shock, anger boarding on rage, a profound sort of sadness as an old unhealed wound was ripped open, numbed the sting. She’d grabbed Max, ignored David as they pulled their shoes on, then stormed off. And now here they are.

She knew why she’d gotten so angry and she knew why she couldn’t back off. She didn’t know why David had been so mad, by all rights they’d been doing much better lately. She stopped calling him step-douche and he had been keeping his controlling temper tantrums under control pretty well. It’s not like he’d walked in on them having sex, they’d just been making out. She tried to piece things together given what she knew, and could only assume that his reaction was one rooted in homophobia. Anger and sadness mixed in her blood, rushing to her head to form a tight band around it.

“Hey,” Max called gently, breaking her from her thoughts. Chloe shifted her head enough to indicate that she was listening. “You okay?”

_No_ , she wanted to reply immediately. _I’m not okay._ But again she stopped and made herself think. David was an asshole about this, sure, but the thing that had upset her most was that he’d hit her. She didn’t really care that he disapproved of her seeing Max. Joyce was elated when they’d told her. She acted like she’d seen it coming a mile away and had been bottling up her excitement while waiting for it to happen. Chloe knew William would have been the exact same way. And, most importantly, even if no one supported their relationship, she had Max. Max was worth everything.

She wasn’t great, but she was okay right now.

“Yeah,” she whispered against her girlfriend’s collarbone. She delighted in the little shiver it caused before pressed a kiss to her neck. “I’m okay.”


End file.
